


free falling

by toyang



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Single Parents, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 03:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18908920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toyang/pseuds/toyang
Summary: confidence is something sehun knows how to wear well. junmyeon, on the other hand, when he's gone through a divorce and raising a daughter on his own, forgets what that looks like on him. thankfully, sehun knows how to share.





	free falling

**Author's Note:**

> i ran out of time and had to cut a lot of what i wrote down. :( hopefully this still satisfies! 
> 
> prompt #97 for suhoney fest

junmyeon nods and wishes the other teachers a good afternoon as they roll into the lounge one by one. some are positively receptive to the early greeting, while others continue to practice for their role in a zombie movie until they’ve had their coffee. he would think that they were working at a public school when some are still tired even at this hour, but he knew that there were a few of those co-workers who just loved their late nights doing whatever it is that they do.

jongin on the other hand, junmyeon is well aware of the younger teacher’s intimate relationship with sleep. it surprised him the first time trying to call him before midnight but not getting a message from him until the late morning after with a ‘sorry, hyung. was asleep.’ people would think that he just spends his time hibernating with that kind of schedule, but hey, he can’t actually complain about his lifestyle when he still shows up to work on time.

the bags under the younger’s eyes aren’t as prominent when he sees him walking in; he looks happy even with the way he can’t exactly hide the smile off his face. he even found the time to go to the cafe and buy his own drink from the looks of what he’s holding in his hand. it’s from gongcha, so he rules coffee out as one of his guesses. junmyeon finds this as an opportunity he couldn’t pass up to comment on, so he nips the curiosity right in the butt. “what kind of plan do you have for this weekend? going to see your niece and nephew again?”

“meeting one of my old friends, actually.” the younger brightens up knowing that he can share his excitement. he places his bag on his desk and goes through his routine on changing his shoes to slippers and hanging his jacket on his chair. “he’s been living in the united states for the past six years, but he’s moving back here on the weekend.”

“oh, right.” a part of himself mentally flicks himself for forgetting. he’s sure he’s heard about this event sometime in the past. “sehun, you said his name was?”

“the very one.” yes! now _that_ , he gives himself a pat on the back for.

junmyeon is reminded of his history of this said friend, how he and jongin were in the same year and practically did everything together. there were countless stories about getting in trouble together, and curiosity getting the better of them that caused more than one headache for the teachers. _‘if you were my student while you were a kid, you sounded like you were a nightmare.’_ the younger laughed at junmyeon’s words. _‘not gonna lie, hyung. i would think so too.’_

“your stories with him sound so interesting i kind of want to meet your partner in crime at least once.”

there’s a chuckle that comes from the other, finally sitting down at his desk and looking at his schedule for the day. thursdays are one of their busiest, and he sees the sigh coming from jongin after the realization. “you can if you want. i’m sure he wouldn’t mind to meet you either. we can set a date that works for you so that you can find someone to watch over hwayoung. or you can bring her too if you want. he loves kids.”

the older teacher smiles at the idea, appreciating jongin’s concern and consideration. on the one hand, it would make it easier to bring his daughter and not go through the hassle of finding someone to take care of her. on the other, junmyeon also wasn’t sure on how many places they could find that would be appropriate for three grown men and a child. jongin would probably still appreciate going to the kids cafe to play with hwayoung when the younger is still a kid at heart, but maybe not the best as a first meeting with one of his friends. “as tempting as that sounds, i’ll see what i can do about finding someone to babysit her.”

satisfied with that answer, jongin simply nods and continues on with his class preparations. “sure, just let me know and i’ll ask sehun if it’s a good time for him, too.”

junmyeon thanks the other and turns back to his own monitor. his textbook lays open right next to his arm, ruminating on how he might go about teaching this lesson. he taps his fingers on his keyboard lightly, but not strong enough for the characters to show on the monitor.

setting up a time to meet sehun will have to wait until later, and he mentally compartmentalizes it until his current tasks are more fulfilled. he’s not even sure if he wants to go through with the idea when he’s hardly spent time with jongin after work. it’s been a couple years since they’ve been coworkers and he could count the number of times spent outside of it. but again, later. it’s not something that should flood his mind now. “how’s minjae in your class?” he brings up to start another conversation as he looks at his own student roster.

“he’s on vacation right now.” it sound like a big relief off of jongin’s shoulders, and he rests back on his chair and stretches his arms above him. “but you know, he’s not as much of a jerk as the others said he was. maybe he’s grown up a little.”

“maybe he just likes you.”

“i’ve learned a few things on what works on him.” jongin with his ‘rebellious’ past makes it easier for him to spot those troublemaker students and curb their behavior better than just giving them a slap on the hand, junmyeon likes to say. he can’t deny that the other teacher has that kind of upper hand in the school. thankfully, jongin has a penchant for sharing and helping and junmyeon has learned a few better methods in this classroom management thanks to the young teacher. this old dog really _can_ learn new tricks.

the conversation dies down soon after when they get caught up in their own work, and before they know it, it’s time to head to their first lesson. there’s a question looming over him, however, and it tugs at his conscience until he sends a message to one of his cousins to get an answer from him.

nothing out of the ordinary happens throughout the day, and junmyeon feels himself worn out by the end of it thanks to a few choice students. it’s always that last class that’s the hardest when the students don’t want to work and he’s running low on his own energy. his other coworkers mention their weekly dinner after work and offer junmyeon to come along, but he turns it down when he has his daughter and his mother waiting for him at home. it’s more of a lie than anything though when he has a feeling his mother wouldn’t mind watching over hwayoung for another few hours, but junmyeon doesn’t feel like going.

he has no idea what his coworkers like doing, what they talk about, and the group already seemed close enough already that he’d feel like the odd one out. best not to chance it.

the others wait for their last member near the elevator so they could take it down together, so junmyeon enters first when the doors open and jongin steps in with junmyeon to head out. there’s a silence aside from the older fiddling with his keys, but jongin is busy typing away on his phone. “have fun with your friend on the weekend,” junmyeon doesn’t forget to say when the younger steps out of the elevator. jongin nods and waves a goodbye.

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

little did junmyeon know that some light conversation would have made such a big impact in his life, and how much of a friend jongin is to follow through once he says he’ll make it happen. 

an oh sehun enters suddenly thanks to jongin’s persistent effort, and junmyeon feels like he’s reverted back to a younger self around him; unsure and unconfident in his actions. sehun is everything junmyeon envies, from his life lived abroad and how his adventures in korea sounds almost endless. less than a year back and all the activities he’s listed is longer than junmyeon has ever done in his entire life. most of all, he has the _freedom_ to do it, and that’s what he envies most.

junmyeon can’t hate sehun when everyone he meets learn to love him. on another day, hwayoung warms up to him quickly enough when they meet. she asks about him, wants to see him again, and eventually junmyeon’s heart also agrees.

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

**oh sehun**  
   you  
   don’t have any plans for the weekend, do you?

**kim junmyeon  
**    Not much. Why? 

**oh sehun**  
   ok  
   good  
   leave it open  
   i’m going to take you somewhere :)

**kim junmyeon  
**    Where to? 

**oh sehun**  
   it’s  
   a secret  
   i don’t want to ruin it  
   just trust me it’s nothing scary

**kim junmyeon**  
   I don’t know about that…  
   You and your friends are into some pretty risky sports.  
   Can I bring Hwayoung? 

**oh sehun**  
   about that  
   sry TT  
   i don’t think she’ll be able to this time  
   will that be a problem? 

**kim junmyeon  
**    It’s alright. I’ll find someone to watch over her. ^^

**oh sehun**  
   ok ^^  
   see you soon! 

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

“uncle jongdae!”

“hey, hwayoungie!” before she steps foot in the door, she wraps her arms around jongdae’s legs to give him a hug.  lucky, his trusted jongdae comes through with his own offer, and they can finally settle on a date that works well for all of them in the near future. “soyoon and jaeyoon are taking a nap in her room right now, but when they wake up, i know they’ll be excited to play with you.” the little girl lets out a little pout from the news, but jongdae assures her that she should be up soon. he points over to the blocks and the small play area set up near the corner of the living room, and she walks over to find something that might catch her interests. jongdae turns back to his other guest at the door and shrugs lightly. “they had swimming lessons today.”

“ah,” junmyeon immediately responds, understanding the situation in a better light. in a way, junmyeon also feels a little bit bad that he might have intruded on the short time of solitude that jongdae granted himself. “thank you for your help, jongdae. you don’t know how much of a lifesaver you are.”

“believe me, i know exactly how important i am to you.” his chest puffs out but only for a moment to gloat, although he does laugh right after. “besides, soyoon and jaeyoon love hwayoung. i’ll take care of her while you should be worrying about where this mystery place is.”

junmyeon doesn’t leave without giving jongdae his own hug, and he does so with a pat on the back. “i owe you one, cousin.”

“don’t mention it,” he states, waving his hand dismissively. “have a good time. we both know that you need it.”

“if only i knew where we were going...”

“open mind, hyung. open mind.”

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

“i don’t really like surprises…” junmyeon mentions, and yet he finds himself sitting in sehun’s car, going outside of seoul with no hints as to where. the lack of control makes him grip at the hem of his shirt as he sits in the passenger seat, watching the road in front and the scenery pass by their sides. junmyeon can’t remember the last time he traveled outside of seoul. his mother and father just live in the district next to his and he’s been too busy taking care of his daughter to think about taking a vacation without her. however, the moment his mother found out about his plans with his friends, even she was insistent that he take this rare day for himself to enjoy.

he’s comfortable with sehun, he really is, but there really isn’t much he can go off of about this trip aside from having sehun mention for junmyeon to dress comfortably for the outdoors. junmyeon wears his flannel as a result, not sure how casual to be, but he thinks denim is also a safe bet. just in case, he brings his denim jacket if the weather gets colder.

upon seeing what sehun donned when he rolled up in his car, he seems to have made a decent wardrobe choice. they almost can be wearing the same style, but sehun just makes it look… “better.”

“what?” sehun doesn’t look over, eyes still on the road. one hand is on the steering wheel while he leans his other elbow on the arm rest to be a little closer to junmyeon to hear him.

crap. he didn’t notice that he said it out loud. “i was just thinking that if i were to wear your style of clothes, you’d still look better than me in them.” he also worries about wrinkling his shirt and he smooths the hem out with the palms of his hands. they remain folded on his lap then, when his response seems to be a welcome distraction from his constant fidgeting.

sehun seems to crack a smile with that comment. “chanyeol tried that once, wearing my clothes. his arms almost ripped my shirt from its seams.”

the older laughs from the surprise. “well he is a big guy. i guess i have to be surprised about how he was able to pull it on him.”

“he was stubborn about it.” as if that was the only explanation he needed to give. but sehun was right, that _fit_ as the best explanation. 

“you dress more… modestly, i guess you can say, than him. more often than not, it seems like half of his wardrobe is under armour compression shirts.” 

“you’re not wrong…” sehun comments with a smile. “as for my clothes, i don’t feel the need to show off as much as chanyeol hyung.”

“admittedly, they do look good for when you want to take pictures.” 

“did jongin ever tell you…” he started, glancing at junmyeon first before turning his eyes back onto the road. “i modeled when i was younger. my parents took me to photoshoots for school uniforms, and then i used it as a way to make money in the states. spent a day posing for stock photos and such. i’ve heard many times before that i have the potential to become someone many agencies would be looking for.”

a model on top of everything else he’s learned about him. it’s like the surprises keep coming. “no he did not tell me that. but that also supports my case that you’d still look better wearing my clothes.” his mind turns to wards _or not clothes at all_ , or even implying there would be a reason for sehun to wear his clothes, but junmyeon says nothing in case the ideas haven’t gotten into his head. “clearly you’re not doing that now. how come you decided not to be a model?”

“i’m not interested in it. it sounds like too much stress in the industry, always needing to maintain your image and getting criticized about every little thing.”

“you still manage your own image by being a personal fitness trainer, don’t you?”

“that’s on my own terms. i’d rather help people reach their own goals. i work with a lot of different people at the gym, some models included. they tell us about what they want to achieve in the 12 weeks we have them. during our sessions, we hear the stories they want to tell us. so i’ve heard the good, the bad, and the ugly, you know? that’s how i know that i’m even more sure that being a model is not for me. i’m perfectly fine where i’m at.”

junmyeon rests back in his seat, smiling solemnly. “it must be nice having that option.”

“you’re saying that as if you don’t think you have the figure to be a model. you have a handsome face, hyung. people would want to photograph you.”

“as you said yourself, i’m perfectly fine where i’m at. i don’t think i could deal with the pressure of people criticizing my body left and right.” 

“more comments than criticism, if you ask me,” he quips. junmyeon doesn’t say anything other than he’s flattered, but he doesn’t let the comment easily get away. “we’re almost there, by the way. give me another ten minutes.”

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

“sehun…” his voice sounds cautious as he looks at the scenery around where they’ve parked. there were a lot of questions and places he’s listed in his head as an answer to where sehun wanted to take him, but none of it had been… this. they’re not doing what he thinks they’re doing, right?

he stares down at a tall and menacing crane next to the lake, and then to a building nearby with an inflatable obstacle course in the water behind it. they’re at some kind of park to enjoy some kind of sport, but which one? his eyes go back to the crane where he sees two people at the top of it, and the cord tied to their ankles acting as their lifeline, literally. junmyeon finds it absurd that there are people who would entrust their _lives_ in that thick elastic. falling from such a height... he feels his stomach drop as quickly as the jumpers fall. 

the difference? he doesn’t think his heart bounces back up just as quickly.

there are some regrets he has that sehun didn’t tell him this was the place they were going.

“yes, this is where i wanted to take you.” sehun replies to his unanswered question. junmyeon stared long enough at the bungee jumpers for him to make a conclusion.

“you’re saying that like i’ll be up there...”

“well, yes. that’s why i brought you here.”

his head finally turns towards the younger. “sehun… you overestimate how brave i am.”

“i think you’re _underestimating_ yourself.” sehun reaches down and grabs at junmyeon’s hand. “come on, let’s go. i promise you won’t regret it.” he tugs him lightly in the direction of the crane, but junmyeon does well in resisting and trying to pull his hand back.

sehun couldn’t say that he didn’t expect that, so he still pouts at junmyeon. “hyung, it’s totally safe. they’re professionals, they’ll put the harness on you and everything. there’s nothing to worry about.”

“except that we’re going to drop freely from 100 meters up in the air.”

“it’s really more like 50 meters, so you’re exaggerating.” that doesn’t make him feel any better, and he gives sehun a look of disapproval. sehun’s lips purse as he thinks carefully about what to say next. “okay, i thought that this would be a fun activity for us both. jongin said that you don’t go out very often, and he wanted you to do something exciting. yeah i left this a secret because if i told you where we were going, would you still have gone?”

“no, i wouldn’t.” sehun does have a bit of a point there. his reasoning hadn’t caught up with him as an option when junmyeon’s mind keeps repeating _don’t do it don’t do it don’t do it._

“jongin did give me the idea of making it an interesting date.”

“i still don’t know about this…”

“i mean, i could go by myself, but that would defeat the purpose of bringing you here too.”

“i would be happy to take pictures of you while you fall.”

“hyung, come _on._ ” there sehun goes with whining again, this time stomping his feet on the ground like he would expect hwayoung to do.

“let me watch a few people do it first…”

“if that’ll help you.” he takes that as progress and lets up a little in trying to force him. 

they walk closer to the jumpers on junmyeon’s terms, staring off closer to the expanse on the lake and how the crane stretches out above the water. there is that little bit of comfort knowing that the lake would break their fall in the off-chance that their rope snaps, but he also hopes that it doesn’t lead to that. “have you done this before?”

“yeah, i have. it’s nothing live skydiving though.”

“figures that you would have done that too…” he mumbles. sehun should know what he’s doing. it makes so much sense why he kept it a secret, but junmyeon is also complaining in his head why sehun ever thought this was a good idea in the first place. 

oddly enough, something about this whole situation makes him feel like he can _trust_ that the other can make this marginally enjoyable. he did, after all, come here with him. it doesn’t mean he’s not nervous at all, though when he’s not any kind of thrill seeker. heck, even the big pirate ship swing at lotte world is sometimes too much for him to handle. 

and jumping… well, he’s in between a rock and a hard place at this point, when sehun’s (not junmyeon’s!) main goal is for junmyeon to stand on that platform. he tries to remember his cousin’s words about an open mind, how the things that make him anxious aren’t really all that scary. it’s easier said than done, but sehun is also being a good sport and being patient as junmyeon goes through his dilemma. 

so, junmyeon, takes a deep breath, talks himself down from thinking the worst case scenario, and steels himself. “okay, let’s get this over with before i change my mind again.”

sehun smiles again brightly, reaching down to hold his hand excitedly. “that’s the spirit!” well, okay, so it is a little worth doing this to see that look on his face.

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

that relief lasts only as long as they step into the lift taking them to the top. it doesn’t help at all that junmyeon can see _everything_ as they elevate higher, the tops of the trees passing them and being able to see from one side of the lake to the other so clearly. all the cars in the parking look so small at this angle, like collectable toys. looking down also coincidentally makes his legs feel like jelly. 

_this was a mistake..._ he thinks to himself, and he squeezes sehun’s hand harder. sehun hasn’t let go of the other since they’ve stepped in, but he’s well aware of just how much the teacher was out of his comfort zone.

“don’t worry, hyung. i’ve got you.” 

the wind is stronger at this height, and junmyeon can’t take a step without the fear of slipping and falling. and, oh, there he goes again, not being able to move his feet to walk. it feels much safer to crumble to the floor, crawling like a baby when his center of gravity is closer to the platform. junmyeon almost throws out all of his rationale over the railing when he blanks out and _stops,_ gripping at sehun’s hand tighter. the staff at the top look more amused than anything. junmyeon doesn’t think he’s the first person to do something like this once arriving at the jump point. “i don’t think i can do this.” 

“you _can_ do this. you’ve made it this far. hwayoung would be proud of you.” 

he _knows_ what sehun states is something he should believe. later on in her life, junmyeon might be able to tell her one day with sehun that he wasn’t afraid, how he might be able to support what he preaches to her about _trying_ when she gets older. 

that’s not to say that there wasn’t some things he’s a little more shameful about as they move closer to the edge, such as the fact that he felt better closing his eyes for the majority of the time as sehun and the staff guided him around. 

he hears the instructions carefully, wrapping his arms around sehun’s waist and letting him be the one to tip them over. if junmyeon had any power, he’d think the’d never leave the platform.

“ready!” sehun confidently announces. junmyeon’s eyes remain shut. 

“three!” 

as he holds onto sehun for dear life. 

“two!” 

he yells once as the nerves fire under the pressure, even when they haven’t stepped off of the platform yet. 

“one!”

“oh god, i’m not ready!”

“jump!”

junmyeon feels sehun’s weight pulling him off the platform when his mind catches up with him with what they’re actually doing. he feels his stomach rising, tensing up under sehun’s grasp and that sense of dread as they both plummet down closer to the water. that feeling of falling is too much to bear for junmyeon that he yells out in sehun’s chest wanting the feeling to _stop_ , but it just keeps on going and junmyeon feels like it’ll go on forever. sehun yells from the excitement, while everything passes by like a blur to junmyeon with how hard he’s closing his eyes, his blood rushing and ringing in his ears. 

he then feels the bungee cord resisting, and gravity getting back to its job when junmyeon finally feels the weight of his insides again. the first fall was definitely the worst, the second time as they bounce around, while not as high, still throws junmyeon into a panic when the pit of his stomach drops again. 

junmyeon can hear, _feel_ , the younger laughing as the blood rushing into his ears dies down, and he _still_ has no idea how someone could take such utter joy into cheating death like this.

 

~ 👨👧 ~

 

the adrenaline runs through his veins while they’re being handled back onto land and unstrapped from their harnesses. his hands can’t stop shaking because of it, and his legs give out that he still has to rely on sehun to hold himself up. 

“are you okay?” junmyeon hears the concern in the younger’s voice.

he feels an odd sense of awareness, of confidence, of _something else_ when he looks at sehun. “i’m okay…” it’s not enough for him to say, but it’ll do for now. once junmyeon regains the feelings back in his arms and legs, he stands up, but continues holding onto the younger’s forearm.

sehun looks completely satisfied once they are free to go. junmyeon can see a small change in his body language too while they walk back to the car. junmyeon reaches over and squeezes sehun’s hand. there’s so much that sehun has done for him that he possibly can’t explain it all, but he appreciates having the younger around regardless. all his problems, all his worries, can’t go away that easily, but being around sehun makes it a little easier to bear. “thank you.”

he turns his head and looks over at junmyeon warmly, reaching over and briefly resting his hand over their held ones. “it was my pleasure.”


End file.
